


Vane's deception

by Vegvisir



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-05 12:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1817932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vegvisir/pseuds/Vegvisir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Great Inagua 1716,  you get a visit from Charles Vane offering riches beyond your wildest dreams, you just have to play a central role in a foolproof plan...... What could go wrong it's foolproof right?</p>
<p>Assassins creed and characters rights depicted are owned by ubisoft</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vane's deception

Great Inagua 1716

It had been a beautiful sunny day in Great Inagua, the sun had warmed the island nicely and now at dusk it was just perfectly serene.The sky had turned the most fantastic hues of orange and reds and the waves lapped gently at the beach. You sat with Edward and James Kidd at the shore front tavern just taking in the sunset that was playing out before you.

"Perfect!" you sighed deeply and took a gulp from your ale

"Aye that it is lass" agreed Edward 

There was a lot to be said about Great Inagua, it was a wonderfully liberated place,a lot less brash than Nassau. Its residents were free and at this time of day were seemingly more mellow, it was of course, a different story at the end of the night after the alcohol had flowed freely.

"What's the plan then Kidd?" asked Edward raising his beaker to his lips

"The plan is Kenway, I'm going to finish my drink, fetch my crew from the whore house and set sail" 

"Aye, I won't be too far behind you Kidd" replied Edward. 

They'd got business to tend to in Tulum and were to set sail there later that evening.

"Are you sure you wont come lass?" asked Edward turning to you

You'd really miss not having Edward about the place that's for sure, you'd been constantly in his company for the last few months following the Governors Ball in Havana, he made you feel safe and secure but you understood very little about the assassins and had only met Ah Tabai once before

"No" you replied "I'm going to get some rest besides there's work that needs to be done on your fleet plans Edward"

"Ah forget those plans for now lass and come with us to Tulum, I can make a start on them when I return" he gulped from his tankard.

"I'm all decided" you replied " I'm going to enjoy not doing very much for a while, besides you've got business with Ah Tabai- I'm sure he wouldn't be that impressed me just turning up unannounced " you replied 

"Aye Kenway, she's got a point, we've got things to do this ain't a jolly" interjected Kidd downing the rest of his drink.

He slammed the empty tankard down on the table top, wiped the stray moisture from his top lip on the back of his sleeve and got up from the table.

"Right! I'm going" he declared

"Can we expect to see you at some point tomorrow then Kenway?" asked Kidd.

"Aye mate", he replied "The jackdaws ready to go" he went on 

"Well don't dally Kenway, the assassins don't favour lateness" he told him as he began to walk away.

Edward raised his beaker as if to toast Kidd as he left. "Everything's permitted Kidd" he called 

"I'm having another lass", he turned to you "you joining me?" Edward stood up 

"aye one more" you replied "then I'm going to head up to the manor for the evening" 

Edward took your empty vessel in one hand and his own in the other and walked towards the tavern.

You sat at the table on your own breathing in the clean sea air, the temperature had begin to drop slightly and there was a welcomed breeze around the harbour front now. You squinted your eyes and noticed two figures walking up from the beach front towards the tavern where you sat.

Edward returned to your table and placed both drinks down before he took his seat once more. 

"Captain Kenway!" came a deep voice from your side,

You both turned your heads to see Charles Vane and Jack Rackham walking over the wooden walkway toward you, Jack veered off and sauntered flamboyantly toward the tavern while Vane came over and sat down opposite.

"It's been a while Kenway" he said "heard you plundered that Spanish Man o War down south not long back, profitable? " his voice was guttural and deep 

"Aye, not bad " replied Edward taking a gulp of Ale from his tankard.

You'd met Charles Vane only a handful of times back in Nassau, a fierce man with an equally fierce temper. you'd once witnessed him cut a mans finger off for drinking his rum by mistake in The Old Avery. 

Vanes reputation preceded him, no one ever interjected, no one ever had the balls to. The times that you'd spent with him though he'd always been charming, witty and gentile with you.

 

Rackham emerged from the tavern front and made his way over to where you sat, he was carrying two large bottles, already swigging from one. He placed the other infront of Vane and sat down.

"Kenway!" he nodded and greeted Edward   
"m'lady" he said slowly, turning to you he took your hand and kissed the back of it gently.

"you've never had the pleasure of meeting Rackham yet lass" Edward said leaning in towards you 

"Lucky you" interjected Vane, taking his pipe out and loading it with tobacco from his pocket.

"You never told me she was such" he paused "a lady" he said, his eyes flicking up your form stopping momentarily at your boobs before getting to your face again.. he slowly let go of your hand.

"You must be the only female who he hasn't tried to fuck yet" laughed Vane.

Edward laughed.

Vane placed his pipe to his lips and lit the tobacco taking a long draw on it.

"Not your usual stomping ground Vane, What brings you both to these parts?" Asked Edward.

Vane paused momentarily and blew the smoke out.

"I got word you were here Kenway, I've got an exciting proposal for you" said Vane picking a piece of tobacco from his tongue. 

Edward placed his tankard down on the table and looked at Vane.

"Just how exciting is exciting?" he asked 

"Ohhhh about 200 thousand reales exciting!" replied Vane quietly taking another draw on his pipe 

"Hmmm yes, that is exciting" said Edward nodding slowly "keep talking"

"I've caught wind of a Naval convoy headed northwards in a couple of weeks, a ship called HMS Swallow flanked by a couple of brigs, well worth our while I reckon" said Vane 

"The Swallow you say?" Edward paused "aye I know of her, saw her six months or so back Jamaica way, she's big and heavily armoured" 

"Ahhh pish!" replied Vane "we've plundered bigger" 

"Aye maybe so, so what's her route, when does she sail?" Asked Edward.

Vane drew again on his pipe, deeper this time and blew it's smoke to his side.

"Well Kenway, there lies our plan," he paused slightly " full plans of the convoy lie with a jumped up cock shot by the name of lieutenant Anson, new to the game he is, not long in.... he's currently in residence in Jamaica" he explained

"Word is he's having some sort of fancy tea party in a couple of weeks, Vane stopped and looked up at Edward and then looked at you

"I've heard he's one for the ladies..."

Edward interrupted "absolutely not Vane, no way!" he said abruptly 

"Kenway, it's absolutely fool proof" replied Vane his tone a little shorter this time

"Whatever you want to do is your choice Vane but don't involve the lass" 

Your attention spiked, you'd not been listening that closely but you were sure no one had mentioned you til now.

"Whah" you uttered.

"It'll be like taking toys from a child" Vane explained "Edward come on!"

"No Vane, for starters I'm busy the next month or so, I won't be around, secondly we know nothing of this Anson, leave it be Vane, there'll be others"

"Where's your bollocks Kenway?" asked Vane sternly 

"That's enough Vane" snapped Edward back. 

You hadn't quite got to grips with everything that was going on, but you'd gathered you were to play some integral part in getting the plans to the convoy. The atmosphere had changed somewhat so you downed the remainder of your ale.

"Right gents," you said breaking the silence " I'm making my exit before it gets too late, I bid you all goodnight" you announced putting your tankard down.

"Lass" leered Rackham, "the pleasure was absolutely all mine, I do hope to see alot more of you very soon" he continued with a seedy smile

"Mr Rackham, Captain Vane" you nodded at them "goodnight" 

"Lass I'll get you a lantern to go back with" said Edward getting up and walking over to the keeper in the tavern. He turned a few moments later with a lit lantern

You walked over to meet him.

"Will you be ok going back to the manor?" questioned Edward

"Eh of course" you laughed, taking the lantern "it's not far, and it's not quite dark yet" you looked up to the path that led up to the manor house on the hill. 

There was an awkward couple of seconds between you

"You'll be ok won't you lass?" asked Edward more seriously now, he looked at you directly, his blue eyes so piercing they could melt ice.

"Me?" you laughed "of course!" 

"It'll be so strange not having you around" he said "I've got quite used to your company of late lass" 

"Aye and I too Edward" you replied. 

"As soon as I'm finished in Tulum, I'll return," he paused "I'd be a hopeful man if I thought you'd be here waiting for the Jackdaw to return" he said

You paused for a moment

"Edward, I feel like I belong on The Jackdaw, with You, Adé and the rest of the crew," you paused "how could I turn my back on that?" 

Edward looked right at you with those eyes once more and beamed

"Then I'll make haste back lass" he placed his hand slowly and gently on your shoulder and stepped closer. The moment he did Vane shouted over 

"KENWAY! LET THE LASS BE, THERES ANOTHER ALE HERE FOR YOU MAN" he boomed

"AYE MATE" he shouted back.

"One more before I head off" shrugged Edward to you, you laughed raising your eyebrows, recalling the warning Kidd had given him before he left, turning around you began to walk down the gangway of the tavern towards the path. something told you they'd be a few more 'last ones' before he'd leave. 

"You're a brave man Edward!" you laughed.

 

*

 

You'd had a wonderful nights sleep in the manor and awoke early to the sound of the birds singing outside, you couldn't actually remember the last time you'd slept in a proper bed with proper sheets you'd certainly never slept in a house as grand as this.

"This place is just glorious," you thought taking in a deep breath and sighing. The sun filled the bedroom and rested in pools of light on the polished wooden floor, it was a beautiful room exquisitely furnished with fine antiquities from around the world. 

you sat on the side of the bed for a few moments taking in your surroundings, it had been a long time since you'd felt so contented. You got up from the bed and walked towards the big sash window that overlooked the harbour front. 

You noticed that the Jackdaw had now gone, it had still been moored when you went to bed last night and that was late, seemed you were right about Edward having one too many 'last ones' with Vane and Rackham. You knew Edwards head would be shot today, you only hoped Kidd wouldn't be too harsh on his arse when they made it to Tulum.

There was a quiet knock at the door

"Yes" you called and looked round, the door opened and there stood Tammy, you'd met Tammy very briefly the night before she'd introduced herself to you as housekeeper, she and a handful of staff stayed at the manor making sure it all ticked over while Edward wasn't there.

"Miss," she said, "I've gone to the trouble of running you a bath" she said "there's clean towels waiting and breakfast cooking for afterwards"

"That's excellent Tammy, thank you so much, but there was no need, I don't want to put you out"

"Really miss, it's no bother" she smiled and reversed out the door closing it as she went.

You felt a little uncomfortable if truth be known, you'd never had anyone do anything for you in the past before and here were people who didn't know you who were willing to cook your meals and look after you. 

"What made you any better than them?" you thought shaking your head. "I'm not at all!" You cast a thought back to your time on The Princess.

 

*

Later

 

You readied yourself to start work on Edwards fleet, his papers were already out strewn across the desk where Edward had worked on them last, it was clear that he hadn't updated them in a few weeks, according to your calculations most of the voyages would be due back within the next week or so, god giving they returned safely.

You sat back in the chair and looked around momentarily, skin squeaky clean and belly full, it really didn't get much better than this. the room where you found yourself was really quite sumptuous, Tammy had opened all the French doors both sides of the room letting in a beautiful breeze that billowed the long white linen panels that hung at the windows.

You snapped your thoughts back, picked up the quill and proceeded to scribble in Edwards log book, transferring all details you could of cargo traded on the last lot of voyages. 

There were so many, the schooners and brigs returned weekly or so but the larger ships took longer and were usually heavily laden with goods, of course that's not taking into account plundered booty their captains had robbed along the way. As long as Edward got his cargo and usually a couple of crates of Rum ontop he'd turn a blind eye to everything else and his crews respected him for it.

You'd been quietly working away for a few hours when you became aware of some footsteps approaching the stone veranda outside, 

"Knock knock" came the gravelly voice at the one of the French doors.

You looked up from the desk, it was Vane.

"Captain Vane" you greeted, you were surprised to see him "how's the head this morning?"

"A little thick lass aye" he replied rubbing his head, leaving his hair out of place, his voice seemingly deeper than normal.

"Did Edward get off ok?" you asked

"Aye, left first light" 

Bloody hell he must have been clattered by the time he boarded The Jackdaw you thought, odds on he's slept the whole journey to Tulum while Adé's taken command, he'd have had to!. 

"So then Captain, can I get you a drink or anything?" you asked

He looked a little rough if you were honest, you thought a soft drink may do him good after his night on it. 

"No thank you lass," came his reply, he walked over to where you sat and looked at the papers you'd been working on. You could smell the remnants of sweet rum about his person.

"Kenways a busy boy isn't he!" he growled.

You didn't really like him looking over your shoulder at what you'd been working on, it was common knowledge that Edward had quite a fleet but even still you didn't like Vane scrutinising it's details.

"What can I do for you Mr Vane?" you asked beginning to stack all the papers together so he could read them no longer.

"Well lass, said to Edward last night id look in on you, make sure you're fine" he said as he started to walk away from the desk, "you're lucky, you almost had a visit from soppy bollocks last night, he said "one too many ales, I told him to get a grip man!" 

You nodded and smiled

Vane continued to walk around the room, checking out what was on show...

"See... Edward and I got talking about that plan of mine" he said,

You continued to watch him.

"Together we came up with the perfect plan, fool proof, he's more than happy now lass" 

"Really!?" you reserved judgement 

"Aye, really" he returned as he scanned at the books that were on the shelf, his finger running along the base of them.

You didn't reply

"Really lass," he turned around "said something like it being too good to pass up"

You narrowed your eyes and looked at him 

"Are you lying to me vane?"

Vane tilted his head and outstretched his palms "Would we put you at risk lass" he said.

"Ok let's hear this plan then," you replied still a little dubious but if Edward was happy, it had to be fool proof, right?"

Vane sat down on a nearby chair, draped his arms over the back rest,placed his ankle on the other knee and told you about his plan.

 

*

 

Two weeks later you found yourself on board The Revenge moored in Jamaica. you stood in Vanes quarters wearing a dress he'd got for you. Rackham who seemed a little worse for wear sat close by.

"Very nice!" Rackham said tilting his head so he copped an eyeful of your tits. The dress was tight, very tight and the corset you wore pushed you in so tightly your tits seemed in danger of toppling out the top.

"Vane, is this really necessary?" you asked pulling up the front.

"You look fine lass, and from what I've heard about Anson, he'll be all over you" 

"I don't want him all over me!" you exclaimed "the plan was to flirt with him a little and find out what I can" you went on

"Aye lass, it is and Jack and I will be close by to make sure nothing happens, what could go wrong anyway?"

You looked at Rackham, clearly half pissed

"Yeah, what can go wrong!!" you thought.

"Right lass, Anson is expecting a lady by the name of Emma Baker to attend his little party, for today you shall be Emma Baker" 

"Emma Baker! I like it" laughed Rackham

"Does he have to come?" you pointed at Jack who was now slumped back in his chair.

"It'll be fine lass, he paused "Anson knows nothing about Ms Baker, so tell him what you want" Vane paused "except the truth!"

There was another raucous outbreak of laughter from Rackham, you both turned to look at him.

"I don't know Vane, there's something about this that doesn't feel right" mainly because Edward wasn't here you thought.

"Relax lass, it'll feel right enough once we've got those plans and you're rolling in doubloons" he replied.

"Right plan is, we go to the fort where Anson is, they're expecting you so there's no worry there, you use your ummm" he paused and gestured the back of his hand in front of your cleavage "charm to get hold of those plans right?, Rackham and I have found a way in around the back so we'll be close by"

"Shall we go?" he said lifting himself from his chair.

 

*

 

The three of you made it to the outside of the fort across the bay, it was bustling outside, locals traded in livestock and food, children played and drunks slept. The was a real buzz about the place.

The fort was a way larger than you imagined and far more imposing than you imagined, it's large stone walls and turrets towered above and armed guards walked it's ramparts, weapons drawn.

You stood a way back and took a deep breath.

"You ready? Asked Vane 

You breathed out and nodded. 

"Don't forget, we'll be close by" 

"Aye," you replied.

You turned and slowly walked towards the guards on the gate, it seemed to take forever. there were two guards on duty, both with an artillery of weapons on show. your heart was pounding

"Can I help you miss?" said one of the guards sternly,

"Ummm aye, my name is Emma Baker and i....." You were interrupted 

"Ahh yes Miss Baker, you're expected, said the guard more softly this time, "Your presence is requested in lieutenant Ansons suites miss," 

"From the gates it's the first set of buildings to your right Miss" he continued

"Thank you sir," you replied quietly

How can they not know I'm an imposter? you thought, it's blindingly obvious!

You briefly turned about to try and catch sight of Vane but he was nowhere to be seen, mingled into the crowd.

You proceeded to walk past the guards and through the gate,

"Oh miss!" called the guard, your heart stopped, that's it I've been found out you thought. you turned round slowly

"Have a nice time" he smiled.

You gave a smile in reply and continued on your journey to where Anson was. The door to his office suites was slightly ajar so you grabbed the handle and opened slowly.

The room was very grand, about thirty foot or so in length with a highly polished wooden floor, scattered with fine rugs from Persia. The walls were cream with candlelit paneling, huge paintings of different ships in battle adorned the walls, ladies perched on velvet chaise longs and chairs around the room while gents made small talk with them, directly in front of you was a fireplace that stretched to the ceiling and was decorated with marble horses and cherubs . You turned and looked around the room in awe of the decor, you noticed a man was sat playing a clavichord of some sort in the one corner.

There was quite a crowd of people already gathered, all seemed people of some substance, very well dressed and quite refined, you felt even more out of place now.

A male who was circulating the room with a tray of drinks had acknowledged your arrival and made his way to where you were,

"Drink ma'am?" he asked offering his tray forward. you took a crystal glass from the tray and thanked him before he walked off.

"Right let's do this" you said under your breath, took a deep breath and walked further into the room.

 

*

 

You'd been there a couple of hours, and to be honest had grown tired of all the small talk, there had been no sign of Anson as yet and you wondered how much longer this ghastly thing was due to go on for. Bored you took yourself to the further end of the room and found yourself staring at one of the pictures that hung from the wall.

You'd never seen a painting so large before, you stared at it for quite some time it showed two large Man o wars at battle during a fierce storm, beautifully framed by a large ornate golden frame. your mind drifted away and you pondered the story behind such a painting.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" came a voice to your right. 

You turned your head to see a man stood next to you admiring the picture with you he had his hands clenched behind his back. It was a face that you hadn't seen yet that day, looking at him he couldn't have been older than thirty,his hair brushed neatly back into a pony tail, white breeches and a dark blue coat and shirt, you figured from his uniform and his demeanour that this must be your man.

"Forgive me, I am lieutenant George Anson " he introduced offering his hand forward

"Emma Baker" you replied taking hold of his hand and shaking it gently

" well Miss Baker, I can see you have a keen eye for fine ships," he said with a wry smile

And you have a keen eye for a cleavage you thought! noting the direction of his glance

"Indeed Sir," you replied

"once I'm Admiral, I will have command of the whole of the British Navy, I will have at my disposition war ships just like that one" he boasted notioning to the painting.

Modest too! you thought.

Anson explained at length to you about the his naval contracts, and the docks the convoys sat in, he boasted about his fleets from England, Southern Europe and North Africa seemingly puffing his chest out in pride as he told you, you pretended to be interested and nodded and agreed in all the right places but truthfully you were really quite tired of listening to him.

"Are they just war ships or do they ship... cargo?" you asked hesitantly fishing for the information you came for.

"All the naval ships carry cargo Miss, and all trade at different ports with quite different jobs to do, it really is quite complex" he went on.

"I find it all so very interesting" you replied, trying to engage him still

Anson looked over your shoulder and scanned the room to see if there was anyone who had noticed he was there.

 

"Then Miss Baker, you must come to my office and I will show you just how I manage to command all of the ships here in the West Indies " he said

You nodded with a smile, "thank you sir, I'd like that"

"Then come, they won't notice we're gone for ten minutes" he said

And with that you followed him out of the room, down a long corridor to a closed door, he took a key from the pocket of his waistcoat and unlocked it. he pushed the heavy door open with a creek and stood there a moment 

"After you Miss Baker" he said

You smiled and walked passed him and into his office.

The room was of fair size with bookcases that lined three out of the four walls, Ansons desk was at the furthest end of the room, you noticed a couple of tables in his office one with decanters on with various liquors in them and a larger one with scrolls and maps on them. There was another painting of a ship on the wall above his desk.

The floor creaked as you walked in, you stood waiting for him to enter and give you direction. Anson closed the door and came over to where you were standing, he came a lot closer this time and you sensed his demeanour changing

"You are clearly a lady of some substance miss, I like a lady who has a clear interest in economics". His eyes seemingly undressing you.

You smiled, not really knowing what to say

"Thank you Sir, you replied.

"Take a seat at my desk Miss, see how it feels" he offered his hand forward as if to usher you there

You walked behind the large desk and sat down in his chair, the chair gave a creak as you sat down into it.

"It's suits you Miss Baker, it gives you an air of superiority"

"So this is where you do all your work?" you asked 

"That it is Miss, I've made many important decisions sat right there"

"So, what of your ships here now sir, am I too bold to ask?" you asked 

"Of course, you take a keen interest Miss very commendable" and with that he walked to the table and gathered a collection of maps and walked back over to you.

He spread them out infront of you and walked behind as you sat in the chair. he lent over, his body purposely leaning into yours his face so close to yours you could feel his breath on your cheek, this was what he had planned, there was no need for flirting as planned he was over you like a rash.

He pointed at each map in turn and explained briefly it's route and cargo, boasting about it like some hunger rich pig. Each map was clearly labelled with the ships names. your eyes scanned the papers frantically

HMS Swallow! It was there. 

"Sir and what of this ship, The Swallow?"

"Ah yes, the pride of my fleet" he said "shes huge, 54 cannons and a hull so thick it's impenetrable. A ship so intimidating no one would dare compromise her" he explained turning his head slightly into yours so your lips were desperately close.

You didn't respond to his advances ,You just stared at the plans, it clearly illustrated it's route this must have been what Vane was after you thought.

"You must be proud" you said. 

You hadn't even finished replying when you heard a commotion outside, someone was sounding the alarm bell.

You both looked up and over to the window,

"What's that?" you asked

Anson straightened behind you and strode purposely from behind the desk towards the window. you could hear soldiers outside shouting and then came a couple of shots, you prayed it was nothing to do with Vane.

Anson stood at the window craning to see what all the fuss was over, the bell ceased ringing and it all began to calm a little, you wondered if you could slip the plans now without him noticing. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Come" Anson called turning round 

The door opened and in walked an officer, he wore a thigh length red uniform and looked panicked. Anson made his way over to him 

"What is it Mr Wells?" He demanded

Mr Wells spoke to Anson for a few moments, while Anson nodded in return and offered out the occasional "I see" you couldn't make out what was being said as they were virtually whispering, although you were desperately trying to crane your ears.

"Thank you Mr Wells" 

The officer nodded in acknowledgement and then left the office.

Anson stood there for a moment seemingly gathering his thoughts, his attention suddenly turning back to you.

"Miss! where are my manners?" he asked "let me fix you a drink" he smiled

"Was that anything to worry about sir?" you asked him as he walked over to the decanters

"What that? no miss nothing at all to worry about, seems a couple of the local delinquent brats had managed to get into the outer perimeter of the compound, they dare each other to do it, it happens quite often" he said 

"But your soldiers, they shot!"

"Indeed they did Miss, just merely warning shots that's all, hopefully they'll be so scared they won't try again" he said with his back now to you fixing your drink.

"Come sit over here with me Miss" he said turning around offering forward a large crystal glass with some dark liquor in it.

You alighted from the desk and made your way over to him taking the glass offered, 

"Very good" Anson smiled "sit ye down Ms" 

You perched on a chair while Anson leant up against the back of his desk facing you

"Let us make a toast!, To the success of HMS Swallow!" he said raising his glass, he smiled with some air of superiority 

"To HMS swallow" you replied lifting your glass and with that you downed your drink and so did Anson.

The liquor burned as it went down and offered up a bitter sweet almondy after taste.

"Very good miss" said Anson with a smile

"You know, serving in the Navy in this age is quite a dangerous profession" he continued placing his glass behind him on the desk. 

"The waters around these parts are particularly treacherous" he said 

"Quite", you were beginning to feel a little warm, from the alcohol you thought. 

"There are many unscrupulous sorts around these parts Miss" he said 

The heat that was radiating from the pit of your stomach was now beginning to become intolerable, you felt sweat gathering on your forehead. What was wrong with you?

"I wonder sir, you uttered, would you be so kind as to open the window? I feel I need a little air" you breathed out with a puff

"Tell me Miss, have you ever met any pirates?" he asked ignoring your request.

Really, why was he asking you this? your head was beginning to swim, finding it hard to focus you blinked your eyes as a bead of sweat ran down the side of your face.

"Sir, I feel a little ill" 

"Pity" he sighed "such a pretty lass too" he said shaking his head

Blinking your eyes trying to get focus, it dawned on you that there must have been something in that drink he gave you, 

"See lass,....... I told a little white lie earlier, the alarm that sounded ... wasn't children" he said getting up from the edge of his desk,

"Seemed we had uninvited guests" he made his way over to where you sat and stood in front of you "and there really is only one thing I hate more than uninvited guests" he towered in front of you, arms held behind his back.

You did your best to stop your head from rolling, he grabbed your jawline steadying your head, and lifted your face 

" You see lass, I really fucking hate pirates" he growled 

He lifted his other hand and struck it sharply across your face, it knocked you clean from your seat and onto the floor

It went black.

 

*

 

Tulum

Edward and Adé sat on the steps of a wooden shelter watching Kidd as he practised his fighting with an assassin in a small clearing. They'd been practising close hand combat for some time.

"We could learn a lot from these assassins Captain," Adé said watching them fight.

"aye maybe Adé," replied Edward "answering to some creed of people though just ain't me, man should be free to live the life god intended" he said 

"Aye maybe so, It must be fine though to know you have a brethren, people to watch your back whenever and whatever?" They continued to watch the fight.

"I have my crew and that's all the brethren and family I need at the moment" replied Edward turning his head in Adés direction.

Kidd stopped fighting to catch his breath, half listening to the conversation they'd just been having came over to where they both sat.

He placed one foot on the steps where they sat, his elbows resting on his leg he leaned in catching his breath.

"So Kenway, think we could teach you a thing or two about fighting" he said with a smile

"Nonsense Kidd" he quipped, I've still got all my limbs haven't I and a few years on you yet, reckon I could probably teach you a thing or two" Edward joked.

Kidd paused and nodded taking onboard Edwards quip with a smile

"Next time I want to brush up on my bar brawling skills Kenway, I'll know where to come" he retorted

"Hey," Edward paused " everything's permitted, isn't that right Kidd?"

Edward and Adé gave a short laugh. Kidd had noticed Ah-Tabai approaching on a path to where they were all sat, he was a strong, thick set man with an aloof air about him.

"I trust your training today has gone well? Kidd" he boomed, his voice was deep and carried 

"Aye sir" replied Kidd "very well thank you"

"And you Mister Kenway, is everything to your satisfaction?" he looked over to Edward, He'd caught Edward looking mildly disinterested.

"Yes mate" replied Edward 

"Very good" Ah-Tabai nodded, tomorrow we will work some more on close hand techniques "there is still very much to learn" he said to Kidd.

"Which reminds me Mr Kenway, there's been a telegram just arrive for you, it seems you're needed in Jamaica quite urgently. It says that a Mr Thatch will be waiting for you there, a problem regarding a member of your crew" he said

Edward paused momentarily looked up to Ah-Tabai and got to his feet "Adé, it's the lass" 

"Aye Cap'n, I fear you maybe right" he replied "but why Jamaica?" 

"Vane" Edward paused "that's why!" He said angrily

"Then you must go straight away Mr Kenway" Ah-Tabai added.

 

*

 

It was difficult to clearly make out your surroundings it was so dark, you were in a small cell of some sort, you knew that much, there were steps leading up to your left and other than a small opening up to ground level at the far end of the room there was no light at all. It was cold and stank of damp.

You didn't know how long you'd been there, hours? Maybe even days ? you had woken up on the cold floor, wrists tied tightly. You remembered now the events that lead up to you ending up here, bringing your hands up to your face you felt a searing pain rip through your cheek bone as you touched it, your eye must be pretty battered you thought.

Just inside the metals bars someone had placed a wooden beaker containing a liquid, it was difficult to see what it was clearly but you were so thirsty you scrambled over as quickly as you could, 

Picking up the wooden beaker with both hands you smelt the liquid inside, it didn't smell of anything, it must be water you thought. Desperate for a drink you gulped quickly from the beaker. No soon as the liquid hit your stomach you wretched and painfully bought it all back up again.

"Salt water!" you muttered to yourself.

You got to your feet and shouted as loud as you could for someone for as long as you could, maybe an hour or so but it proved futile, there was no one coming. Exhausted you eventually sat back down and waited...

What must have been hours later you heard footsteps moving about above you, it was the first movement you'd heard since you woke. a shaft of light illuminated the cell where you were, the door must have opened at the top of the stairs. looking up in anticipation you saw two soldiers coming down the wooden stairs towards you.

"Ah look she's awake,.... wondered when you'd come to" said the one guard aggressively " want some water?" he barked.

You looked up at them, wondering if they were being genuine you were so thirsty you took your chances

"Yes" you said quietly and nodded, a little hoarse from shouting earlier 

The larger of the two guards picked up a pale of water that had been stood the other side of your bars and proceeded to throw it over you where you sat. His laughter tore through the air 

"You didn't say please" he shouted "Fucking pirates" he continued to roar with laughter.

You did nothing but sit there,there was nothing you could do, soaking wet and now cold it was going to be a long and uncomfortable evening.

Still laughing heartily the guards turned and walked up the stairs, once the door was closed you were once again plunged into near darkness.

You curled up on the floor to try and keep warm but couldn't stop your whole body from shivering from the cold. Your thoughts drifted back to the last time you'd seen Edward, the last time you felt properly safe, sitting in the sunshine, laughing and enjoying a drink you wished so hard you could turn back time to be there again. Just to hear his voice again, just to be with him again - you missed it so much. 

"If they'd managed to shoot Vane" you thought "no one will ever know I'm here Not have a clue".

"Am I to just reside myself to the thought of eventual death here?" you thought "what a pitiful place to die" you certainly hadn't envisioned this, you only hoped that when the time came it would be quick and painless.

 

*

 

The following few days you felt yourself slowly becoming weaker and weaker, now used to the fact that you had become some sort of source of amusement and ridicule from the guards . It became common place them placing food and drink on the other side of the bars just out of your reach, so much so you didn't even bother trying to reach it anymore. Head pounding and eyesight failing you knew you were beginning to suffer the symptoms of acute dehydration.

Now too weak to stand or sit for long, you lay on the floor of your freezing cell and listened to the sounds of nearby Jamaican life that drifted through the vent and into your cell, you closed your eyes and your thoughts drifted far away, you could suddenly feel the warmth of the Caribbean sun on your skin, the smell of the freshly cooked food from the market and the taste of finely brewed rum on your lips. You imagined taking a walk along a snow white beach while the piercing azure blue waters lapped at your toes.

You suddenly came to and became aware of one of the usual two guards opening the door to your cell, the clank of the lock made you jump. You'd not been aware of him before this moment, you must have drifted out of consciousness for a while. He walked into the cell and knelt next to you, your eyes struggled to focus on him. Taking a bottle from inside his coat he unscrewed it's lid.  
What was he doing? you wondered too weak to protest.  
He lifted your head and poured liquid into your dry mouth  
It was water!!! You gulped frantically while you could, water was spilling out and rolling down your neck, you tried desperately to lift your head to drink more but you were so weak. It was the sweetest thing you could ever remember tasting, you gulped frantically and felt the cool water reach your stomach.

He pulled the bottle back from your lips and you gasped for breath

"Who is your captain lass, is it Vane you answer to?" he whispered glancing to the door making sure he was still alone.

It took a moment to take in what he asked, you motioned your head with a small weak shake

"Kenway" you croaked in a whisper

The guard starred at your face momentarily and then gave a short nod lifting the bottle once again to your lips, the water spilled out once more and trickled down your chin as you gulped frantically. He withdrew the bottle after a few seconds.

"Why are you doing this?" you croaked after a short while 

He didn't reply, instead he placed your head carefully back down on the floor and hurried away.

 

*

It was a busy evening in Jamacia, it must have been sometime around six or seven o'clock, there was an air of everything seemingly winding down following the long working day, locals were making their ways home, kids played and market holders were packing up for the day, the sun was peeking over the horizon, one final hurrah before night sets in. Edward and Adé made their way through the bustling streets from The a Jackdaw to the local tavern near the harbour.

"Thatch will be here Adé, that's for certain" said a Edward as they both climbed the wooden stairs to the entrance.

Edward pushed open the tavern door and stood there momentarily surveying the room.

It was a large establishment where the patrons seemed to do as they pleased. It was already quite lively there, a small group of men were drunkanly singing into their ales, wenches sat on sailors knees happily being taken advantage of, drunks already sat slumped on tables after a days drinking. Thatch and Vane were sat at a table at the far end of the tavern, they looked deep in conversation.

Edward gestured to the wench behind the bar and the both he and Adé made their way over to where the two were sat.

"Kenway" greeted Thatch "you've made good time Sir" he went on 

"Gents!" greeted Kenway nodding his head as he sat down at the table, Adé taking the seat next to him.

"Aye, I came as soon as" Edward continued 

Vane was sat opposite Edward smoking his pipe, his hair looking slightly more dishevelled and ruff than normal, 

"Kenway!" he said nodding to Edward as he took a long draw on his pipe.

The barmaid came over with two large tankards of ale, banging them down on the wooden table in front of Ade and Edward a large amount of ale slopped out onto the table. Adé pushed two small coins along the table towards her thanking her, she picked them up and left without word.

"Friendly bunch here" said Edward sarcastically 

"They turn their head and ask no question Kenway,, that's good enough" replied a Thatch lifting his drink to his lips.

"So gents as much a I love your company, I'm sure that's not the reason you've got me here, I take it it's the lass, what of her, is she safe?" asked Edward taking a gulp of Ale.

Vane momentarily glanced at Thatch 

"What?"

"Old captain fucking numb nuts here told the lass you'd agreed to send her to Anson for them plans" said Thatch

"Seems she's in a spot of bother," he continued 

Edward jumped to his feet lunged and grabbed Vane around the collar and pulled him to his feet.

"You fucking idiot, I said no Vane.. I said it was too dangerous , give me one good reason why I shouldn't fucking knock your head off your shoulders right now" spat Edward 

"Don't soil your breeches Kenway, Vane said with half a laugh surprised at Edwards response "she's just a lass, why is it you're so bothered anyway Kenway?"

Edward paused momentarily and stared at Vane, eyes so piercing they could have torn through him.

"Sit ye down lads" growled Thatch "the last thing we want to do is cause a scene, won't help anything...... no we wait til the lass is safe........ and then we beat the shit out of him Kenway" he said taking a drink of ale

Edward released Vanes collar and pushed him down on his chair sitting down slowly himself.

Vane took a moment to straighten himself and picked up his drink once more

"You wouldn't have minded had she been successful, you have had your fair share of doubloon Kenway" he said lifting his tankard to his lips

"But she wasn't successful was she Vane! Like I knew she wouldn't be" he paused "So what do we know?" asked Edward turning to Thatch

"We know you're not going storming in there shooting from your cock Kenway" said Thatch "no... we take our time and work out something proper" he continued stroking his beard against his chest.

"Reckon we should storm the place" said Vane 

"Reckon you should just shut up Vane" retorted Edward angrily

"Look, go in late, take the bastards by surprise while they sleep, there'll be less of them and they'll never expect it" explained Vane

"Getting us and the lass killed in the meantime, excellent plan! shut up Vane" Edward replied more louder this time.

"Please yourself Kenway, but it's the only way, they're well armoured there saw it ourselves when we were there, replied Vane 

"Pity they missed you Vane" replied Edward

They'd become aware of a male figure that was approaching their table from the side, he wasn't a particularly big man, and quite young looking in the face, he wore a long cloak in black and a black tricorn hat, Edward had noticed that he'd been sat a couple of tables away when they entered.

"Captain Kenway?" asked the male quietly, he was very softly spoken with a rounded British accent

"Depends who's asking mate" replied Edward turning to look at the male 

"It's about your friend, the girl, excuse me Sir but I heard you just taking about her, I know where she is" he said quietly looking around.

"Is that right mate?, Edward examined the male looking him up and down, 

"you best sit down" replied Edward, he watched the male closely as he pulled a stool to the table where they sat, he figured he'd be pretty stupid to try anything silly with the four of them sat there. 

"And who might you be Sir?" Demanded Thatch, voice low and almost growling 

The male looked nervously at Thatch, he knew instantly who he was and didn't need any introduction, he'd heard the stories people told of him. Thatch's fearsome reputation preceded him, he was certainly not a person to trifle with.

The male slowly and nervously sat down at the table, and leant in slightly to speak.

"My name is Taylor Sir, Jacob Taylor" he said to Thatch.

"So then Jacob Taylor, prey tell us what you know" replied Thatch.

He gulped and glanced momentarily at the other men 

"Sir, I know that Anson has the girl kept in a cell inside the fort, across the bay, has had for a few weeks now" he explained nervously.

"Tell me how you know this lad?" asked Edward.

Jacob took a breath in, leaned back in his seat and very slowly and carefully opened up his cloak, it wasn't wide but just wide enough to show the others his Red uniform that he wore underneath.

"Shit!" Exclaimed Edward upon realising the man was wearing a British soldiers uniform

Its a trap" jumped in Vane sitting back in his chair readying himself to draw his sword.

"No sir" replied Jacob quickly "No trap!, I can tell you where she is"

He realised that the four pirates could kill him in an instant if they wanted.

"And why sir should we believe you?" growled Thatch

"Sir, I joined the army to fight for my country, I was promised great things, a position of standing Sir, since then I've seen no service and I'm just treated like Ansons Skivvy,"

"I can't hurt the girl just can't do it, she's been treated badly sir, it just ain't right she's done nothing, you wouldn't keep animals that way"

"How is she?" enquired Edward turning to Jacob

"She breathes...... for now anyway sir, more I can't say" he replied 

I've heard of your crew Captain Kenway, I've heard great things, when I got word that you were in Jamaica I had to seek you out." He said nervously.

Thatch placed his ale on the table, and slowly leaned towards Jacob, his eyes fixed firmly on him.

"Let me tell you sir, if you are spinning us a yarn, do you know what I ll do to you? ....." Thatch growled

Jacob stared wide eyes at Thatch

"I'll find you sir and when I do I will personally gut you from bollocks to choker, I will open such hell on your sorryful ass you'll be begging, begging for the devil himself to drag you down to the pit of Hell......if there's one thing I don't like.......it's a liar sir, do you understand?" There was a wild look in Thatch's eyes.

Jacob listened nervously, without taking his eyes from Thatch he reached inside his coat took something out, and placed it down on the table in front of them.

"That's the key to her cell sir," he said, "she's in a cell that's under Ansons office, you'll never find it if you didn't know it was there......you need to get access through a false bookcase to the side of his desk"

"Thank you Sir,....... I'll look after this" growled Thatch picking the key up from the table and placing it in the pocket inside his coat.

"So what of you now Lad?" enquired Edward,

"I know not Sir, I'll catch passage to another island and look for work, I can't stay in Jamaica not after this...... I'll be hanged for sure" explained Jacob 

"Aye, a deserter and traitor, the king don't favour lightly your kind...... tell me are you a hard worker lad?" asked Edward.

"Aye sir" came the reply 

Edward sat back in his seat, thought for a moment and breathed out heavily. He looked at Jacob.

"Then Mr Taylor, there's room for you as crew on The Jackdaw...... I run a tight ship mind, I don't suffer fools gladly but I'm a fair captain, give me your loyalty and the other lads and I will be just as good as any family you have" he said 

"Kenway you're fucking mad" interrupted Vane "once a lobster always a lobster" He laughed in surprise at Edwards offer.

"Aye Sir, I'd like that very much" replied Jacob with a nod.

"Welcome aboard then lad" quipped Edward "Adé, take Mr Taylor here to the Jackdaw, show him his quarters and introduce him to the rest of the crew"

"Aye Captain" replied Adé standing up, Jacob got to his feet, Adé towered above him, he placed a hand on Jacobs shoulder.

"Mr Taylor, you may want to change out of the coat before you meet the crew, not sure how they'd take you..... only keep it safe, I may need it" said Edward 

Jacob nodded and they both left the tavern.

"I'm thinking the same as you Kenway" laughed Thatch. "fucking genius Sir!"

 

*

 

The next day Edward, Thatch and Adé made their way across the bay towards the fort, it was unusually busy bustling with locals who'd turned out to watch the hangings that were due to take place there later that day, the gallows stood close to the fort walls primarily so that they wouldn't have far to bring out the condemned before they hung.

The crowd that had already gathered gave them perfect cover.

"Don't forget the plan Kenway, and whatever you do stay your blade man, Anson is tipped to become next admiral, kill him and we'll have the whole of the British forces on our arses, you got that?" asked Thatch.

"Aye" Edward nodded as he tugged at his neckline, he'd got Jacobs uniform on and although it just fit him it was a little tight in places.

"You look fetching Kenway" laughed Thatch looking him up and down "your parents would be proud if they could see you" he went on.

"Funny Thatch" retorted Edward dryly

"Edward we mustn't waste any time" boomed Adé, he was stood next to Edward, And was lashing Adés wrists together with rope. 

"There, how's that feel?" he asked Adé 

"I can't say it feels good, But I've endured it before" replied Adé 

"Ok, you ready?" Said Edward to Adé nodding "we'll meet you back at the Jackdaw Thatch" 

"Aye, god willing" replied Thatch walking away and then disappeared into the crowd.

Edward and Adé walked slowly towards the the fort, there were two guards standing at it's entrance weapons drawn.

"Are you ready for this ade?" asked Edward quietly 

"Let's do this Captain" replied Adé 

Edward had hold of Adé by the back of his clothes as he marched him towards the entrance to the fort, surprisingly as soon as they approached both guards gave a nod and moved to one side letting them through.

"Shit!" said Edward under his breath as soon as they were far enough out of ear shot, they stood momentarily in the court yard of the fort trying to get their bearings from the instruction Jacob had given them.

The courtyard was huge with different buildings dotted around the outskirts of it, small groups of prisoners stood shackled outside one of the buildings, closely watched over by guards. Edward and Adé watched them momentarily knowing they'd be marching to the gallows very soon.

Edwards attention snapped back 

"First building on the right Adé, that's what Jacob said"

They started to walk towards the first door on the right, it seemed a lot further in distance than it was, they got to the door, Edward took hold of the handle and turned it quietly, the door sprung open 

"We're in Ade" whispered Edward 

They slowly proceeded into the large room where the party was those weeks ago, the floor creaking as they entered. it was if course empty of people now, it was deathly quiet just the sound of the large grandfather clock ticking could be heard. 

"It's a mighty grand room Edward" said Adé in awe looking around, Edward was loosening the bindings from Adés wrists.

Edward scanned the room and spotted the corridor Jacob had instructed them to take.

"This way mate" said Edward as he walked towards it, 

The two of them walked slowly down the corridor, gingerly on their feet trying to stop the floor from creaking as they went. 

"WAIT!" came a voice behind them, They both froze and turned around slowly, 

"What are you doing here?" it was a guard dressed very similar to Edward. he approached Edward and Adé.  
"Ah," Edward stalled "been summonsed to Ansons office," he went on

"Why would Lieutenant Anson want to see a slave?" he asked looking Adé up and down with some look of disgust on his face. he then turned to Edward and examined his uniform, he noticed a small badge on his lapel

"Why have you got Taylor's uniform on, where is he?" Asked the guard his voice now becoming louder as got suspicious 

"Who the hell are you?" he said louder again reaching for his sword.

With that Edward flicked his wrist forward and released his hidden blade, he drove the blade under the guards chin and forced it upwards. The guard stood completely still, eyes wide and staring at Edward his mouth falling open.   
Blood began to run down the blade and onto Edwards wrist, He forced the blade higher until he heard a crunching noise coming from the mans skull, the guard stood on tip toes, mouth open he offered some guttural noise.

"I'm sorry mate, you're asking too many fucking questions" whispered Edward

He withdrew his blade back into it's housing and the guard fell where he stood.

Edward grabbed hold of the guard by the lapels of his coat and hoisted him up from the floor, looking around he spotted a door to his left, dragging him over Adé opened it, it was a small study room luckily there was no one in it. Edward dragged the guards body into the room and dropped it behind the door. dusting his coat down they left the room and pulled to door until it closed with a click.

"That was a close call Edward" whispered Adé 

"Aye, a little too close mate" replied Edward...... "the office, it's that one" he went on nodding at a door at the far end of the corridor.

They continued their journey slowly down the corridor, Edward stood behind the closed door for a moment, he could hear someone moving inside, he raised a fist to the door and knocked.

"COME" came a voice from inside. Edward opened the door slowly and walked in followed by Adé .

"Yes what is it?" demanded Anson not looking up, he was sat behind his desk working on his papers, Edward didn't reply 

After a moment Anson looked up from his papers and examined Edward and Adé, Edward was walking over to the table where Anson kept his decanters, he lifted one to his lips and took a swig from it.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Anson

"Ah lieutenant Anson it really is a pleasure" said Edward as he made his way over from the table and sat down in the chair opposite his desk.

"Who are you?" he said curtly 

Edward sat back in the chair and placed his feet crossed on Ansons desk, lifting the decanter to his lips once more he took another large gulp.

"Good Rum sir" said Edward smacking his lips, passing it to Adé, Adé took the decanter and drank from it. 

Anson looked at the two men in disgust,

"GUARD!" he shouted, Edward started to laugh 

"GUARD!" he shouted louder

"It's no good shouting mate, your guard is.......otherwise engaged" said Edward, "he asked a lot of questions that we just couldn't answer" 

"You fucking barbarians!" he shouted "what is it you want? you don't scare me, I've met your kind before" he said starting to panic a little.

"What is it that we want!" said Edward Calmly as he took his feet down from Ansons desk and pushed himself to his feet out of the chair.

"Now that's a question" he went on. "We believe that you have something in your possession that you shouldn't have" he said walking towards the bookcase to the side of his desk.

Anson watched as Edward walked around his desk and stopped to the side. he placed both hands down on his desk and leaned forward towards Anson.

"Any idea what this could be?" asked Edward 

"I don't know what your talking about!" exclaimed Anson.

Edward stood up from the desk and glanced momentarily at the bookcase behind him, he placed one hand flat on the right support and pushed quickly and firmly. the bookcase sprang open revealing a large void behind it. 

"Want to think again?" asked Edward

"What is your name Scoundrel?" demanded Anson, eyes wide, clearly fuming now

Edward lifted one leg and perched on the edge of Ansons desk leaning into him

"It's Kenway mate, make sure you remember it.

"I'll make sure you hang Kenway!" he shouted 

"Aye, You'll need to find and catch me first mate" Edward said with a wry smile and half a laugh. 

"Adé". Edward said looking over at Adé , Adé strode forward towards Anson and hit him firmly in the face forcing his head violently back, Ansons nose exploded and he slumped forward onto his papers unconscious. 

"Nice work Adé" said Edward

Edward got to his feet and made his way behind the desk and pulled Anson from his seat where he was slumped, Adé pushed opened the bookcase as wide as it could go, there were stone steps behind that lead down into darkness.

Adé slowly began to descend down them into the darkness, it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the dark but once they did he looked around and surveyed the room. Disturbed by the noise, a handful of rats scattered into the shadows,the first thing he noticed was the smell of the place, it stank damp and musty, 

Edward had hold of Anson by his ankles and was pulling him down the stairs, each stair they descended Ansons head hit with a crack. 

"Watch your head mate" he said to Anson still unconscious "steady as you go! you'll have quite a hangover in the morning". He stopped just by Adé taking his first look around 

"It's a god awful place Edward" said Adé 

"God it's freezing down here" he replied

He looked over Adés shoulder and caught sight of something on the floor in the locked cell. dropping Ansons ankles he reached inside his coat for the key.

The lock again moved with a loud clank,

You struggled to open your eyes trying to get focus on who'd just entered the cell, you caught sight of the red coat, figuring it was the normal guard again you closed your eyes once more.

Edward knelt next to you, he gently swept a lock of hair from your face, looking at you in disbelief he picked up your head and cradled it in his hands.

"Fucking hell lass" he said quietly, "I leave you for five minutes and look at the scrape you get yourself into" He jested

It couldn't be! you thought, you'd sworn you just heard Edward, your eyes shot open trying desperately trying to focus on the face in front of you, your breathing quickened  
Oh god, please let this be true.  
Your eyes finally focused and rested on the face in front,   
"Edward!" you croaked, lips splitting as you moved them to speak.

The sudden rush of emotion ran from the pit of your stomach and resulted in a large sob.

Edward smiled, tilting his head to look at you he drew the pad of his thumb softly over your cheekbone, which was now black and still badly swollen from Ansons swipe.

"You been street brawling again lass?" Edward said softly, smiling as he examined your face.

You offered a weak laugh in response. Edward took the canteen from his belt, opened it and offered it to your lips, you drank desperately. 

Adé had hold of Anson under the arms and was pulling him into the cell, he dropped him close by you.

"Can you stand lass?" asked Edward, he placed the canteen down and taking a hold of you he lifted you to your feet taking most of your weight.  
Suddenly the room began to swim and you felt sick to your stomach you did your best to stop swaying but couldn't, it was the first time you'd been stood for so long it took a while for your body to adjust. 

Edward cradled an arm around your back and effortlessly scooped your legs up with his other, 

"Ok?" he asked looking into your eyes.

You nodded. he carried you out of the cell and stood while Adé locked the cell with Anson still inside.

Resting your head on Edwards shoulder you drank his scent in, a kind of sweet musk smell, you'd smelt it times before, it was at this point you knew you were safe and you weren't dreaming this whole thing.

"We must hurry now Edward" said Adé walking towards the stone stairs.

They retraced their steps making sure the bookcase was firmly locked back in place before they left the office and headed back to the main door where they'd entered earlier. not a word was said between the three of you.

You eventually got to the door and Edward carefully lowered your feet to the floor, still supporting you by your arms, you were so weak.  
He watched as Adé slid his hand back Into the bindings on his wrist.

"Lass, we need you to walk, do you think you can?" he asked 

"Yes" you croaked with a nod but, truth be known though you weren't sure at all if you could, standing was hard enough but you were going to give it your absolute best shot.

Edward beamed "good, it's not far lass" giving your arms a reassuring squeeze.

"Ready?" Edward asked Adé turning to him

"Yes Captain" replied Adé and he moved to your side.

Edward opened the door, sunshine poured in, it hit your eyes like knives and you quickly closed them firmly shut and bowed your head, it had been so long since you'd seen the sun it hurt. Your head thumped so badly it felt like it was about to split clean open. It was then they both got sight of you properly for the first time, you looked awful, face grey and sunken in you could have been easily mistaken for a corpse.

Edward moved behind you both and placed his hand on the hilt if his sword.

"Right over to the gate" he whispered.

"Come on lass" whispered Adé 

You straightened up as best you could and placed one foot in front of the other, it was incredibly hard, your body screaming at you to stop every step of the way, 

"That's it lass" whispered Edward, "just get to the gate" 

You were having to lean into Adé for support, he placed his bound hands under one of your elbows to offer some support, your heart was racing now and you were beginning to struggle for breath, your body protested to the physical exercise you were making it do.

"That's it lass, come on" whispered Adé 

You were doing it, it was taking every single ounce of reserve inside but you were doing it.

Leaning more and more into Adé he took more if your weight.

"YOU THERE!" shouted a voice behind 

All three of you froze to the spot. was this it had you been found out? 

"It's ok, I'll deal with this" whispered Edward under his breath turning around. an officer strode over to where you all were 

"What are you doing?" enquired the officer.

"I'm just taking these two to gallows Sir" replied Edward.

"Well your late, why weren't you with the others!?" he asked aggressively

"Seemed there was some mix up sir, these weren't ready, I'm walking them there now" Edward replied.

The officer looked you and Adé up and down, your head bowed now, you didn't have the energy to hold it higher.

"Don't think this one will make it" he said prodding you in the stomach making you bow more

You sensed Edward tense up

"What they hanging for?" he enquired looking disgusted with the two of you 

"Piracy" replied Edward 

The officer breathed deeply in through his nose and drew what phlegm he could from the back of his throat. he spat it at you.

Edward clearly uncomfortable he shuffled on the spot, he was close to plunging his blade into the officer you could sense that, he took a deep breath in.

"Best you hurry then" he said. "the crowd always likes to watch a pirate swing and they're a particularly loud crowd today" he went on.

"Aye sir" replied Edward tipping his head slightly.

And with that the officer walked away

"Fucking idiot!" muttered Edward under his breath 

"Let's just go Edward" whispered Adé 

You continued again on the walk to the gatehouse, you could see it, it was so close but by now you were seeing stars in your vision, your heart was beating out of your chest and you fought for your breath. 

"You're doing fine lass" muttered Edward under his breath

Adé had pretty much taken your whole weight now and was supporting you as you just moved your feet, the glaring sun beating down made catching your breath harder.

You made it to the gate house and the same two guards nodded at Edward and let you all pass without question. you didn't think you'd done anything as hard in your life, 

Adé led you just around the corner of the gate and out of sight of the guards, you realised that you were free, you'd got out. you felt a sob emanate from your gut, trying to catch your breath at the same time, you were just too weak for it all, the stars on the periphery of your vision closed in - it all went black

 

*

 

Blinking, you opened your eyes and looked around. you were in bed, crisp, beautiful, clean white sheets wrapped around you, your head hugged by a fine down pillow. You were so comfortable your body almost ached. Pushing yourself up, you surveyed your surroundings. 

You were back in the mansion in Great Inagua, waking in the same bed you stayed in those weeks ago. Nothing had changed since you'd last been there in fact all your belongings were still out on the dresser where you'd placed them before you left. 

You wondered for a moment if it did actually all happen or had you just dreamt it. Looking down you caught sight of the red rub marks around your wrists from the bindings and you rubbed them with your hands, they were deep and painful, you then realised that the nightmare had been oh so true. 

It was a beautiful evening at the manor, the sunshine poured through the windows into the bedroom, highlighting the furniture. the window opposite the bed had been opened slightly and the breeze pushed the curtains gently into the room. 

You sat gathering your thoughts for a moment, attention suddenly returning you thought you could hear voices spilling into your room from the veranda below. Listening carefully you could make out Voices you recognised although couldn't work out what they were saying.

Swinging your legs out of the bed, you sat on the edge for a while. Someone had taken the trouble of cleaning you up and had dressed you in one of Edwards shirts. 

Pushing yourself slowly to your feet it was clear you were still very weak as you wobbled slightly, Edwards shirt fell to your thighs as you straightened. slowly and tentatively you took steps towards the door of the bedroom. it helped holding onto the furniture as you went.

You made it slowly and carefully down the stairs holding onto the bannister as you went once at the bottom you walked towards the door that lead to the veranda. Pausing momentarily at the door holding onto the frame you caught your breath.

Sat around a table outside there was Thatch, Vane, Rackham and Adé. Edward sat close by on the wall that looked out over the harbour below. all were drinking, chatting and laughing at the stories they were exchanging.

Thatch caught sight of you stood in the doorway and stopped talking 

"Kenway" he said. 

Edward looked up and saw you standing in the doorway, he got to his feet.

"Lass, what are you doing up?" he asked 

You looked at him.... ignoring his question you placed your sights firmly on Vane, pushing yourself from the doorframe you walked towards him 

Edward moved a couple of steps towards you.

"Leave her Kenway" interrupted Thatch 

Still staring intently at Vane, he got to his feet to greet you.

"Lass" greeted Vane

Talking a deep breath in, you clenched your fist and pulled it back. With every last scrap of strength you forced your fist forward until it connected with Vanes jaw, it knocked him and you off balance luckily Edward was there to catch you before you hit the floor.

The sound of Thatch's laughter tore through the air, he laughed loud and hard

"Good on you lass, you deserve that Vane!" Thatch wheezed

Vanes hand rubbed his jawline, scrapping his whiskers as he did. he looked up 

"Aye, figure I do" he replied.


End file.
